Mobile devices can store a collection of data items, such as images. For example, cameras and cell phones including camera functionality may store images captured using the camera or camera functionality. The user of such a device often is provided with a view of the collection. Additionally, many other systems which store or access collections of images provide a user with a view of a collection.
At the present time, there are several ways to provide a user with a display of all or part of a collection of data items such as images. One way is to use a list view. The list view lists items in the collection. For example, one way to provide a list view of a collection of images is to list the name of each item in the collection, the size of the item, the type of the item, the date and time of the creation of the item, the date and time of the modification of the item, and the location of the item. This allows a user to see and sort on many pieces of information related to the items in the collection. However, the list view does not allow a user to easily select a specific item in certain cases. For example, if the items are images and the images are not given useful names, and if the user is looking for an image of a specific person, a list view will not provide the user with the ability to easily find the image.
Alternately, a grid view may be used to display the content. A grid view is a display of some or all of the items in a collection which is more graphical than the list view. The grid view provides a number of graphical thumbnails, each representing an item in the collection. For example, a collection including images would represent each image as a graphical thumbnail of the image. In general, in a grid view the thumbnails are arranged in a grid, so that a user can more easily view the items in the collection. Not all of the items may be visible at one time—it may be necessary for the user to scroll or page to view all of the items in a collection.
A grid view allows a user to more quickly find an item which is more quickly identified by a thumbnail than by descriptive information. Thus, a grid view is useful for a collection which includes photographs or images. However, a grid view may not be as useful for switching between displays of collections. If a collection includes several sub-collections, each sub-collection must be selected in order to display the grid view for that sub-collection. Then that selection must be reversed or backed out of, or the original collection selected again in order to view the original collection again, for example to select an alternate sub-collection.
This may be made more difficult if the user input device is simple. For example, where a user input consists of only several keys, selection may be accomplished by navigating to an item in the grid view (through arrow keys, for example) and then highlighting an item in the grid view (through a selection button). Where a user input consists only of a mouse or other pointing device, selection is accomplished by pointing at an item and pressing or clicking a button.
In such cases, where user input devices are minimal, navigation becomes cumbersome. In order to view different collections, the user must select each collection and then back out of the selection. This makes navigating several collections and sub-collections difficult. Additionally different functionality may be required for different items. For example, items which are collections may be opened to view the items in the collection upon mouse click in a grid view. Items which are images may be printed upon a mouse click. In such a case, when navigation proceeds from one item to the next in a view, the functionality provided changes, and this may be confusing for a user.
Thus, there is a need for a system and method to overcome these deficits in the prior art. The present invention addresses the aforementioned needs and solves them with additional advantages as expressed herein.